UNWANTED – EPILOGUE

The day had been both physically and emotionally draining for everyone. So, after a little magical cleanup of the manor, they'd all decided to call it a night.

Now that she knew he was her son, Piper had refused to let Chris sleep at P3. She'd even offered him her bed - as she didn't think the living room couch was good enough for him either. Chris had politely turned down the offer, which hadn't pleased his frantic mother very much, but Chris didn't want any special treatment. In the end though, they'd made a compromise, so Chris had ended up on a mattress in Wyatt's room instead of sleeping on the couch.

Even though he was tired, Chris hadn't been able to fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw his mother bleed to death, or he saw Wyatt's haunted face as he'd sworn vengeance on everyone, he believed had wronged them. It was strange to think about his Wyatt, who'd wiped out the Elders in cold blood - while at the same time looking at the little version of his brother who was sleeping innocently in his crib with a pacifier in his mouth.

Before the toddler had fallen asleep, Wyatt had covered them both with his forcefield. Chris had smiled sadly at the gesture. His big brother had always wanted to protect him, but Wyatt's obsession with it, after their mom's death, had eventually been one of the catalysts for his reign.

His mom had always said that love was a magical and extremely powerful thing, which could be the trigger of a lot of things – both good and bad stuff. Chris believed that was true. He and Wyatt were living proofs that even their parents' forbidden love could conjure all. It was love that triggered his dad's ability to heal, but it was also love that had driven Wyatt over the edge and caused the world to burn. It was love for his dying mother that had broken Chris into pieces… and love for his big brother that glued him back together – and eventually led Chris to travel back in time to save him.

Chris sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He finally gave up on trying to catch some sleep. He carefully pulled aside the comforter so he wouldn't wake up Wyatt, then tiptoed out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen. When he got there, Chris abruptly stopped – surprised to see both of his parents in there with each their mug of tea in their hands. Piper gave him a warm smile when she saw him.

"Want a cup of tea?" She offered - while Leo looked him up and down with a scrutinizing expression, like he was making sure Chris wasn't hurt again.

"Sure." Chris answered and finally entered the kitchen fully. He felt a little awkward but sat down by the table anyway, when Piper got up to find him a mug.

"Couldn't sleep?" Leo asked knowingly. Chris shook his head. "Yeah, we couldn't either."

"How do you like your tea?" Piper asked as she poured hot water into his cup.

"Just like you do, actually." Chris answered, blushing a bit at the admission.

Piper smiled as she added a teaspoon of honey to his tea and handed it to him.

"Thanks." He said, gratefully accepting it. Chris blew on the surface of the hot liquid to cool it down a bit, and then turned his attention back to Leo. "I thought you'd be back with the Elders by now."

"Yeah well, I figured it was more important that I stayed with my family for now." Leo answered to Chris' big surprise. "Besides, they aren't pleased with me after I bolted in the middle of a hearing earlier."

"Wait, you left in the middle of a hearing?" Chris asked, raising his eyebrows. "Why?"

"Because my son needed me." Leo answered, honestly. "He even called me 'Dad'. If that wasn't enough to get my attention, then I don't know what would."

"Who are you and what have you done with my dad?" Chris wondered with amazement. He liked this version of Leo though. Chris hoped he would stick around, so he could hopefully have a chance of a better relationship with the man this time around.

"I thought…" Chris started but then hesitated.

"What?" Leo prodded.

"I wasn't sure you would come." Chris admitted, staring at the table to avoid eye contact. He could feel his cheeks getting hot.

"Why?" Piper asked, cautiously. She looked between them. "Am I missing something?"

"It sounds like I haven't been the best father to Chris in his future." Leo told her and Piper's eyebrows furrowed at the words.

"That's an understatement." Chris huffed, then glanced at Leo. "Sorry."

"It's alright. You should never have to apologize for being honest." Leo sighed. "Besides, I feel like I've been given a second chance with you, and I'm not about to throw that away."

"You better not." Piper remarked with a shake of her head. "So Chris, what else can you tell us about the future?"

"I can't really tell you anything. You know that." Chris replied.

"Come on, just a little bit." Piper tried – then threw up her hands in defeat when Chris shook his head. "Fine. But I think it's a stupid rule."

"Who do you think were the one who lectured me about future consequences when time travelling?" Chris asked.

"Me?" Piper replied. "Oh. Well, then I guess it's not so stupid after all."

She looked a bit sheepish. Leo and Chris shared an amused look. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments as they sipped their tea.

"When was the last time you ate?" Piper suddenly asked Chris.

"Umm…" Chris started, which was apparently enough answer for his mother since she immediately left her chair.

"What do you want?" She asked, already at the fridge.

"I'm not really…" Chris began but hesitated when Piper crossed her arms in front of her chest and lifted an eyebrow. "Um… Whatever you wanna make, thanks."

Piper hmphed and then began to dig out ingredients from the fridge. Leo tried – and failed – to hide an amused smile behind his mug. Chris shot him a glare.

"So, Chris…" Leo said, clearing his throat. He fidgeted a bit with his mug, before putting it down on the table and looking intently at Chris. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened earlier, when you thought Piper was dead."

Chris paled a little and glanced towards his mother. Piper was occupied by the stove, humming as she cut vegetables. Chris didn't think she could hear their conversation.

"One of the symptoms of poisoning is mental confusion." Leo continued. "But I don't think that was the only reason for the way you reacted back there."

"I really don't want to talk about it." Chris bit his lip and looked away from his dad's scrutinizing eyes.

"Okay. I won't pressure you to talk if you don't want to." Leo promised. "I just want you to know that when I was an army medic, I treated a lot of soldiers who'd seen horrible things in the war. A lot of them were suffering from PTSD. As you might know, it can occur when a person has experienced something very traumatic – let's say, like losing a loved one for instance – and they can have very intense physically and emotionally reactions if they're reminded of the traumatic event."

Chris felt tears well up in his eyes as he listened to his dad, but he refused to let them spill. Leo obviously didn't know the details but, somehow, he'd still read Chris like an open book. Chris had never thought of it as PTSD, but the way Leo described it did make sense to him. The flashbacks he sometimes had, the nightmares, the way he'd repressed some parts of that day, and the dissociation that had happened afterwards – it all made sense.

Chris was so lost in thought that he startled when he felt a touch to his arm. He looked up. Leo was sending him a compassionate look and he gave Chris' elbow a gentle squeeze.

"If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for you, okay?"

Chris swallowed hard. Then he nodded.

"Thanks, Dad." He replied. Leo smiled softly.

A couple of minutes later, Piper returned to the table with three bowls of tomato soup and a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches.

"Dig in." She urged. "I hope this is okay. I could have made something fancier, but I didn't want to keep you waiting too long for it."

Piper let her fingers brush along the nape of Chris' neck in a loving way when she passed him. The gesture gave Chris chills, as he was reminded of all the times his mother had done the same thing to him when he was a kid.

"It's perfect." Chris replied, grabbed one of the sandwiches and dipped it in his soup, before taking a bite. He shut his eyes as he chewed, not trusting himself not to start weeping at the taste of his mom's wonderful cooking. Chris' chest felt tight.

"Tell me a little more about your brother." Piper said while they ate. "You said he's gonna turn into an evil tyrant in the future?"

"I think something happened to him as a kid that led him down the wrong path." Chris revealed. "I can't tell you how I know this, but that's my theory. And then… things happened along the way that pushed him over the edge. He just lost all sense of morality."

"And where were we when this happened?" Leo asked. "Couldn't we have stopped it?"

"No one could stop him." Chris replied, deliberately ignoring the first part of his dad's question. "That's why I figured the only solution was to go back in time and stop whatever it is that gets to him, before it happens."

"And we'll help you." His mom promised. She reached out a hand towards his but hesitated just a few inches from it – probably unsure if Chris would allow her to touch him this time. Then she slowly put her hand on top of his and Chris let her do it.

He could tell it meant a lot to Piper to be allowed to offer her support to him. Besides, it did feel nice to be this close to her again – even though Chris knew it wouldn't last forever. She wouldn't be there when he returned to the future. He didn't even want to think about it. Instead, he focused on the conservation about his brother again.

"Wyatt has done some horrible things, but he wasn't born evil, and he isn't completely bad to the bone. He can be saved. I won't stop before he is."

"Wyatt is lucky to have a brother like you, Chris." His mom said softly, giving his hand a little squeeze.

"We're both lucky." Chris replied, and that was true. Wyatt had been a wonderful big brother and, despite the cruel things he'd done to build his evil empire, Chris never doubted that Wyatt still loved him.

When they'd finished eating, and Chris' stomach felt full for the first time in a very long time, there was no denying that they all needed some shuteye.

As they were about to part ways outside Wyatt's room, Chris was hugged by both his parents. He still hadn't gotten used to all this affection, but he wasn't complaining about it either.

"Goodnight, Chris." Piper said and kissed his cheek. "And thanks for everything you've done and are still doing. We're proud of you."

A soft smile spread across Chris' face.

"Goodnight Mom." He said and watched Piper's face light up in a broad smile. Behind her, Leo winked at Chris.

"See you tomorrow, son."

"You too, Dad." Chris carefully opened the door to his brother's room and was relieved to see that the kid was still sleeping peacefully in his crib.

Chris orbed to the club to pick up something and orbed back into Wyatt's room a few seconds later. He stood by Wyatt's crib, smiling down at his sleeping brother – then he put down the gift, he'd just picked up, next to Wyatt's sleeping form.

"I saw this in the window display of a toy store a little while ago. I figured maybe destiny wanted me to give it to you first, so you can give it to me later." Chris whispered. "I think you should name him Wuvey."

Chris' smile widened when Wyatt unconsciously put his arm around the teddy bear and tugged it to his chest.

Then Chris quickly checked the room for possible dangers, before he laid down on his mattress, put his hands behind his neck and blinked up at the ceiling.

"Maybe everything will be okay after all", Chris thought, before he finally succumbed to sleep.

THE END